The Malik Report

Via a Twitter message from TMR reader Fredrik Hilding, SVT conducted an interview with Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom today (they haven’t posted it to their hockey page yet, so I missed it on their main sports page) which includes a nearly four-minute long video interview with Lidstrom (including quite a bit of Lidstrom seemingly strutting around Vasteras and speaking Swedish with a Midwestern accent) and a print version thereof that’s much more optimistic in tone than the heartbreaker two weeks ago, when Lidstrom stated that he’s all but certain to return to Sweden when his career’s over.

Here’s a rough translation of the print portion of Johan Wahlin and Viktor Petrovski’s interview with Lidstrom:

Lidstrom: The love/desire to play hockey is driving me

Nicklas Lidstrom’s only missed about 20 games during his NHL career, and prepares at his best for a 20th season in Detroit. What gives him the energy to do so, now that he’s 41 years old?

“I think it’s still so much fun to play hockey. I look forward to going to games and getting the adrenaline rush of playing in front of 20,000 fans and playing the game. That’s what still drives me—a love of hockey,” said the Red Wings captain to SVT Sport.

“Lidas” believes that his good fortune in avoiding injuries has allowed him to continue playing, and former teammate Chris Chelios has been a role model for him.

“He found it hard to quit when he was 48. I won’t play for that long, but I understand how he felt. I don’t want to stop when I [still] have this driving force, I think I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

New trophy is his dream

Lidstrom the Avesta native is filling himself with energy while at home in Vasteras, where his family spends its summers. When he comes back here after the next season, he hopes to do so as a Stanley Cup winner.

“The goal next season is to win the Stanley Cup again. You set some milestones for yourself during the season: getting to the playoffs is one, that we’re high up in the rankings in terms of our power play and penalty-killing. But the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup again, and that’s the goal you’ve set up during training camp.”

In his old age, he enjoys hockey more than ever, says Lidstrom, who belongs to the exclusive club that’s won a World Championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup.

“When you’re younger, you’re curious and you just keep going. When you’re older, and have more experience, you know what to expect at the end of the journey. I think that’s the difference between younger and slightly older players.”

At this stage of his career, there is absolutely nothing more encouraging than hearing that Lidstrom’s still driven to play and feels that if he didn’t do so, he’d regret it forever. That bodes well for both this upcoming season and however many “beyonds” Lidstrom has in his tank.

I can tell you this on an in-person basis as well as anything else…When August comes around and throughout training camp, it’s Lindenau’s world, and we’re all just privileged because she’s willing to share the information her contacts reveal to her with the rest of us.

And the first Red Wings season preview that rolled in came from NHL.com, so it’s a little…unusual….that NESN’s Douglas Flynn provides the second preview of the summer, offering a Bostonian take on the Wings’ supposedly limited time remaining as a Cup contender while suggesting that it’s not how the Wings fill the voids left by Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper or Chris Osgood’s departures that will determine whether the Wings succeed this season…

Burning question: Can Jimmy Howard take Detroit to another Cup?

There aren’t many question marks in Detroit, but one area of concern is in net. Howard has piled up plenty of wins in the regular season (37-17-5 last year), but his other numbers are far from elite. His 2.79 GAA last year ranked him just 36th among qualified leaders, while his .908 save percentage was 33rd. His playoff track record is also unspectacular at 12-11 with a 2.63 GAA and a .919 save percentage over the past two seasons. The Red Wings had their attempt to bring in another veteran blocked last year when the Islanders claimed Evgeni Nabokov on waivers, but they opted not to pursue Tomas Vokoun or any of the other more experienced netminders on the free-agent market this summer. They’ll ride with Howard again this year, and he’ll be without a Cup-winning backup now that Chris Osgood has retired. Osgood himself was never among the NHL’s elite statistically, but did win when it mattered most in the postseason. The Red Wings are banking on Howard being able to do the same.

2011-12 outlook: The Red Wings still boast plenty of talent up front with Henrik Zetterberg (24-56-80 last year), Pavel Datsyuk (23-36-59 in 53 games) and Johan Franzen (28-27-55), while Nicklas Lidstrom (16-46-62) remains among the best blueliners in the league. Detroit will have to replace the retired Brian Rafalski on defense, and made an attempt to do that by signing free agent Ian White. The Red Wings’ biggest weakness remains their lack of grit and toughness, though they did add a bit of bulk to the back end by signing Mike Commodore.

Did you know? How old are the Gray Wings? Of Detroit’s top 10 scorers last year, nine were 30 or older. Overall, 16 players 30 or older played for the Wings last season, including three players 40 or older. There will be a little room for some more youth this season, as Kris Draper, 40, Osgood, 38, and Rafalski, 37, have announced their retirements this summer. Mike Modano, 40, hasn’t officially hung up his skates, but he won’t be back in Detroit and has yet to sign elsewhere. The Red Wings did retain their most important elder statesman though, with Lidstrom, 41, re-upping for another season after winning his seventh Norris Trophy last year.

Old, soft and possessing questionable goaltending…Have we heard this before?

If you can’t say anything nice at this time of year, like I suggested this morning, sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all, so I’m going to simply state that I might disagree with several of Flynn’s assessments, thank him for offering a season preview to discuss in the middle of August and turn the discussion over to you…

Comments

Old, soft and possessing questionable goaltending…Have we heard this before?

It’s a broken record the idiots on the short bus keep harpin’ on like chewing gum. Ugh…

The Lidstrom interview is a great find, George. Thanks for that. It’s good stuff.

Posted by
SYF
from the C7.R, flyin' low and feelin' mean on 08/14/11 at 08:31 PM ET

Lidstrom seemingly strutting around Vasteras and speaking Swedish with a Midwestern accent.

Ha. I have a boyhood friend from Lansing who moved to Switzerland about 15 years ago. When he comes back to the states for a visit for the first week he has a cheesey French accent.

Posted by
voline
on 08/14/11 at 08:57 PM ET

Lidstrom seemingly strutting around Vasteras and speaking Swedish with a Midwestern accent.

Actually, his alleged midwest accent is far less detectable than his swedish accent in english (or american).

He’s got a bit of his Avesta accent lingering, and a bit of the Västerås (ish) whine.

The only time that you can find a tinge of midwest in his voice is when he’s mentioning names or places (in english).

Many of the younger ones have a far more obvious american ‘twang’ in their Swedish, like Kronner, Ericsson and of course Douglas Murray (but he’s played/studied in the US since he was 16 or something).

Homer doesn’t count, since he’s incomprehensible in either language, and it can be hard to figure out which one he’s actually trying to use.

It’s a bit fun when Nick mention that he’s been sitting next to Cheli for 10 years, and stating that Cheli found it hard quit at 48.

And mentioning that Raffi wanted to continue, but his body said no, while Drapes also wanted, but there was no space for him. And ending with, “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to make the choice for myself, at least so far.”

In a broadcast during the San Jose series, I head mentioned that Ian White would be a free agent at the end of the year. I can’t explain it but I knew that Kenny Holland would make a push and I am extremely excited about his 2 year deal. There is something there that the Wings need and in the end I think, while he may not put the numbers that Rafalski put up, he will bring some type of presence the Wings need. And at the very least Mike Commodore will bring awesome twitter updates. I love that guy.

Thank Fredrik for the interview…and I get the feeling that I hear Midwestern in Nick because I want to to some extent I can’t deny the fact that when I’d come back from six-week trips to Winnipeg as a teenager, my friends would laugh their asses off hearing me talk in a Manitoban accent for three weeks, either…

I heard Nick say stuff about Raffi and Draper, but my Swedish is very, very bad when speaking it

White’s not only a very solid puck-moving defenseman, but in my estimation, he’s also a huge pain in the ass, and I think his edge is incredibly important, as subtle as it ay be.

Having been on the west coast for several years now, I can tell you that even to this day there’s still something instantly recognizable almost any time I hear someone from Detroit talk. It makes me smile when I hear Lidstrom being interviewed and certain words, phrases or speech mannerisms come across as unmistakably pure Michigan.

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